Monday, September 30, 2019

Power Control Theory

In this paper I will describe my family environment based on Hagan’s Power- Control Theory, I will explain paternalistic and egalitarian families and which behavior my family is affected by. When comparing Hagan’s Power-Control Theory an individual wonders about their environment and how it affects there family. Hagan created a critical feminist model that used gender differences to explain the onset of criminology (Siegel, Criminology: The Core, Fourth Edition , 2011). His view described crime and delinquency rates with two factors class position the power and family functions the control (Siegel, Criminology: The Core, Fourth Edition , 2011). My family environment is almost different from most. In my household I would say our class position is a mix between under and middle class. The breadwinner within my house is my mother meaning I’m in a single-parent household. I come from a very strong family oriented surrounding and my values and belief has carried on from when I was a child to now. Even though I’m in a single parent household family members were always there to help if help was needed. I was blessed with the luxury of my mother and father providing me with everything I ever needed whether they were together or not. They have always supported my decisions whether right or wrong. I believe that even though I was in a single-parent household my mother gave plenty of ground rules and responsibilities to follow. I never steered into deviant or violent behavior I always had and still have love and support from my family no matter what. Paternalistic families are the families in which a father takes the traditional role being the breadwinner (Siegel, Criminology: The Core, Fourth Edition , 2011). The mother on the other hand remains home and does the domestic labor of cooking and cleaning. Young boys growing up in households like this tend to often steer out of control because they have more freedom and less â€Å"parenting†. Young girls are less likely to steer out of control because they have the view of what there mother does and that often influences them to be obedient in a way. Egalitarian families are when a mother and father share similar roles and positions of power within the household and workplace (Siegel, Criminology: The Core, Fourth Edition , 2011). Young girls have more freedom and lack parental control they violate law and often their behavior reflects on younger siblings. Hagan believed that young girls engage in adult status behavior rather than deviant (Siegel, Criminology: The Core, Fourth Edition , 2011). Hagan also suggested that single parent household children are more likely to deviate and have bad behavior due to an absent father (Siegel, Criminology: The Core, Fourth Edition , 2011). I believe that some of what Hagan suggested is true; on the other hand because I come from an egalitarian family I think other wise. I believe being in a single-parent household you tend to have more responsibility especially when other siblings are involved. Being an older sibling to tend to want to be that role model for your young brothers and sisters in a positive way you never want them to deviate or steer out of control and go on a negative path. When comparing Hagan’s Power-Control Theory an individual wonders about their environment and how it affects there family. As you can see the Power-Control Theory Hagan created holds some truth. I believe that its â€Å"different strokes for different folks† all people react to their family environments differently.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Easy Experiment

?Which Liquid Dissolves Sugar Free LifeSavers Quickest? The purpose of my experiment is to find out which liquid,(orange juice, water, Coca-Cola, or Sprite), dissolves Sugar Free Life Savers the quickest. I think the Sprite will dissolve the Life Saver the quickest because it has the highest acidity, with ph levels reaching 2. 4. The ph scale ranges from 0 to 14. Battery acid reaches 0 on the scale. 7 is considered neutral. Sprite has a ph level of 2. 4. Coca-Cola has a ph level of 2. 5. Orange juice has a ph level of 3. 5. And water has a ph level of 7. 0. My materials for this experiment include 4 small covered glass containers,four cherry Sugar Free Life Savers, a timer, and Coca-Cola, Sprite, tap water, and orange juice. First, I poured 1 cup of each liquid in their own seperate container. Then I dropped one cherry Sugar Free Life Saver in each and put the lid on each. After that, I started the timer and recorded the amount of time it took for each Life Saver to dissolve in each liquid. It took Sprite 39 minutes to dissolve the candy, Coca-Cola 42 minutes, water 49 minutes, and orange juice 72 minutes when I did this experiment. My findings did support my hypothesis; Sprite did dissolve the LifeSaver the quickest. To improve this experiment in the future, i could put 3 LifeSavers in each container instead of just 1 to see if the acid in the liquids is still strong enough to eat through each LifeSaver.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Group Dynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Group Dynamics - Essay Example There was a good communication with combined efforts and universal solidarity with an aim of meeting their respective objectives in a nursing environment. The group had an aim and how to achieve these aims was the next step. The team members should work in accordance to the high level inter-reliance, sharing of leadership roles, accountability, objectives and reward to group members. According to Beldin (2012), various theories have been used to improve group work performances. Beldin suggested that group is not a bunch of people with job titles but it is a collection of people with each having duties that are understandable by all other individuals (Norma2010 np). Different members in our group had should build a productive working relationship that helps in developing high performing team, raise self-awareness and personal effectiveness that can build mutual trust and understanding every individual within the group. The group was made up of members who have a target to meet and we managed to draft for possible ways in which the target can be made with no difficulty. Many physicians have joined forces to compete for the modern healthcare market. We were able to handle various issues related to health matters with ease through the use of classwork knowledge. The classwork knowledge also enabled us to meet our target by applying what learnt to class to life experiences during the group work (Johns 1994). My team managed to pay attention of cholera breakout to the members of the community and we managed to provide teachings to the public some of the ways to control the outbreak. My group was trying to achieve strength on how to handle some of the serious problems affecting the society. The increase in loss of life to the public made me to participate actively in my group in order to help the remaining citizens (Johns 1994). My active participation and my fellow group members made positive

Friday, September 27, 2019

The National Energy Program Revisited Research Paper

The National Energy Program Revisited - Research Paper Example The program also aimed at finding new sources of the Canadian gas and oil (Franà §ois 2006). Lastly, the program was aimed at increasing federal share on oil and gas revenues. This meant that the program was economic minded. To achieve these objectives, the program then introduced several rules, tax rates and several regulations including the petroleum compensation charge, which was imposed on the country’s domestic refiners (Robert, 2011). The Western provinces especially Alberta were not impressed by the program making the federal-provincial relations reach one of their lowest points. In other words, it meant that the program was not popular in the Western province thus Alberta which also produces most of the oil in Canada (Franà §ois 2006). With indications that the natural resources in the nation would fall constitutionally within the provincial jurisdiction domain, most of the Albertans felt that the program was a detrimental incursion by the federal government especially where province affairs are involved. To the Albertans, the program was perceived to be only benefiting the eastern provinces. Economically, the Western province felt that the program was sidelining it and instead favor other parts of the country. Furthermore, there were bankruptcies in the Western province as a result of the program. Businesses such as real estate performed poorly in not only Alberta but also other parts of the country and other petroleum exporting economies including the United States and Norway (Franà §ois 2006). This prospect weakened Alberta in terms of its economic dominance hence faulting the National Energy Program. Generally, the National Energy Program cultivated to federal deficits due to the substantial revenues increase from the gas and the oil sectors. At the same time, Western province GDP fell due to the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Final quizzes Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Final quizzes - Coursework Example eacts to the presence of the bolus by initiating the process of swallowing by compressing the bolus and forces it down the esophagus, which is a 10 inches long muscular tube. Subsequently, this mass traverses behind the trachea, heart and passes through the diaphragm or muscular partition that separates the abdomen and the chest, and arrives in the stomach. The stomach is akin to a sack and it is situated in the upper abdomen, beneath the diaphragm. It has the capacity to expand sufficiently so that it can contain the food mass produced by chemical as well as mechanical processing. The small intestine is the site where the digested food is absorbed. It is a narrow twisted tube, with a 1 inch diameter and it occupies the major portion of the lower abdomen. It is 20 feet in length. It takes anywhere between three to six hours for the peristalsis process to move the food in the small intestine through the duodenum into the jejunum part of the small intestine and then into the ileum, which constitutes the final portion of the small intestine. During this process, bile is secreted, through the bile duct, into the small intestine. The aqueous unabsorbed undigested food is shifted by peristalsis and arrives in the large intestine, where it remains from 12 to 24 hours. This process of digestion is performed in a highly coordinated fashion, so that the body obtains nutrients and energy in the best possible manner (Digestive System). First, foods like meat, poultry and eggs should be cooked adequately. Special care should be taken to ensure that the internal portion of meat is thoroughly cooked, and it is recommended to use a thermometer for this purpose. Second, different foods should be stored separately, so as to prevent cross contamination. Utensils, cutting boards and hands should be thoroughly cleansed, if they have come into contact with poultry or raw meat. Other food items should on no account be touched if such cleansing has not been resorted to. Fourth,

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Clinical evidence and presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Clinical evidence and presentation - Essay Example Psoriasis is a long-term condition, often re-surfacing after years of remission. It is often treated depending on the severity of the disease and body surface covered. Topical solutions like creams, ointments, and lotions are usually preferred treatment methods for mild forms of the disease. For the more moderate to severe manifestations of the disease, pills, injections and light treatments are used, as topical solutions are insufficient to manage the disease. This paper will critically analyze the current clinical evidence to support the management of the disease, reviewing one mainstream over the counter therapy and one complementary/alternative therapy for the disease. This paper will review the drugs Daivonex, Exorex, and alternative medicine treatment options, and assess their effectiveness in treating psoriasis. Daivonex, a non-steroidal medication containing calcipotriol is currently one of the main drugs being used for the treatment of psoriasis. Some practitioners have reviewed this drug and found it ineffective and inapplicable for some types of psoriasis. Daivonex is not applicable for widespread (all over the body) psoriasis. For those who suffer from some types of psoriasis like guttate, generalized pustular psoriasis, or erythrodermis psoriasis, Daivonex is also not applicable (Medical-Look, 2008). In applying the medication, the patient has also to be cautioned about getting any of the medicine on unaffected skin, as it can cause skin irritation. Clinicians do admit that Daivonex is recommended safe for most psoriasis sufferers, but they caution that there are some potential users of the drug that need to consult with their doctors before using it. Allergy to calcipotriol and any drug containing such ingredient can trigger allergic reactions. Allergic reactions tend to include difficulty in breathing, wheezing, swelling of the throat, face, lips, or tongue, rashes or hives. There are various precautions which are required for

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Microbiology BIO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Microbiology BIO - Essay Example This virus can only cause diseases only when the host immune system is suppressed because of diseases or medication (University of Maryland Medical Center, 2011). Most of the viruses, fungi and parasites affect the eye due to due to direct introduction. This is through surgery, trauma, transplant from infected grafts or through hermatogenous dissemination to the eye organs. The most common eye diseases are caused by fungi. The fungi yeast Candida albicans causes endogenous endophthalmitis, while the Filamentous fungi accounts to one third of all traumatic infectious keratitis. Also, the patients suffering from AIDS may contract various fungal infections of the eye because of weakened immune system (Clinical Microbiology review, 2012). The Candida spp are opportunistic type of fungal pathogens that resides within the human body. The fungal resides without people’s knowledge and causes various infections such as eye infections. When the body immune system is weakened, the fungal quickly attacks the various body parts. This fungal species has the ability to distinguish between a healthy host and unhealthy host and alter its physiology so as to tack the body (Boston,

Monday, September 23, 2019

Independent from England Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Independent from England - Essay Example Primarily, the colonists believed that the existing laws of Great Britain were very much incompatible with and far removed from the needs of the people of the colonial United States. In the Declaration of Independence, it was stated, "He (the king) has refused his Assent to Laws the most wholesome and necessary for the public good" (Ushistory.org, 2007). In all respects, the king was perceived as a promoter of the abnormal tax system, stepping on the backs of the industrious colonists to earn money for Great Britain. As a counter to this, the colonists realized that an autonomous taxation structure, once used for the well being of the people, in support of the local economy, would prohibit Great Britain from taking resources far away from the American colonists, resulting in the consumption suffering greatly in an as yet stronger Great Britain. Secondly, a belief that the king continued to maintain a strong military presence in early America, essentially made the colonists feel as though they were constantly under the threat of military action by the British Army. This perception of the threat is evidently the inspiration behind the passage stating, "He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature" (Ushistory.org). While the colonists continued to work on building the foundation of a successful economy for America, Britain did indeed maintain a close military watch over them to ensure that no revolution was brewing and to constantly remind them that the empire could suppress any such revolution. Finally, undue pressure was exerted on the colonists to limit and even suspend their trade of various goods with other nations. With a motive of ensuring that any proceeds from trade of American produce be directly routed to the King of Britain rather than locally distributed among the colonists, the export of certain domestic products such as tobacco to nations willing to

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Abu Dhabi Police Essay Example for Free

Abu Dhabi Police Essay The focal point of this paper is to develop a plan that would be successfully implementing an organizational change management system within Abu Dhabi Police department in order to increase its efficiency, development and achieving future objectives. It should be stated that at the moment there are several problems related to the issue and it is needed to overcome those in order to gain more mileage in the long run. The main aspect of this problem lies in the traditional form of police and investigation procedures that are taken into account and executed with comparatively lesser efficiency. This could also be sated that the functionality of the Abu Dhabi police department is more ancient in approach and there is an essential need for the department to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of technology implementation and efficiency evaluation. Furthermore, it is also essential to look into the aspects of administrative reconstruction as the department is unable to work up to its true potential with the administrative structure located at a medieval scenario. (Lamb, 2004, 69) Thus it can well be stated that the problem with Abu Dhabi police is not only with it’s below the par utility and efficiency but also is related to the ill formulation of the administrative system. Quite logically, the department is in extreme necessity of finding solutions for negating these problems. It should be stated that at the moment there is a five step remedy to this malady. Firstly, it is essential to understand the present management of Abu Dhabi police department and identify the key areas of improvement. Similarly, it is important in the aspect of researching the past to get an understanding about Abu Dhabi Police department’s status and importantly eliminating the risk of following the old mistakes. Then, it should be noted that a wide study is incorporated with a variety of methods of change management practices and their applicability in Abu Dhabi Police department. Furthermore, it is important to investigate the potential of alternative methods of change management and the most advantageous will be launched. Lastly, a strategy would be created with prospective enhancement that can be introduced, understanding the structure and working culture currently present in Abu Dhabi police department. It should be mentioned that the theoretical framework will involve police and public interviews, police and public’s strategic interview, historical records, secondary research through the Internet and university database, it will also use strategic analysis tools for development of the evaluation of the best method between coercive and consensual policing. In this context it should also be mentioned that the purpose of the project is formulated in a mutually beneficial way such that from an academic perspective there would be a huge gain in the context of valuable experience, and simultaneously add value by providing insights as well as a fresh objective outlook on any matter relevant to the social context. Research design will follow the following method or schedule. Firstly the participants will be trained about data collection techniques and tools to be used to collect the relevant information. The participants will be including police officers, data collection officers, team leaders and other resourceful personnel. Secondly the areas to be interviewed will be identified and accessibility determined. These areas to be sampled for the research can range from 10-16 of these areas, say 5 will be where coercive policing will be imposed and other five consensual policing can be applied. The period of the research can take a period of minimum 3 months and a maximum of 6 months of which during this period data will be collected. Thirdly the data so collected will be prepared as a report of findings. Finally, the final reports will be analyzed and evaluation for determination of the difference between consensual and coercive forms of policy. The different is supposed to put more emphasis on the difference. In order to attain the objectives it is essential to recognize the existing practices in Abu Dhabi police department and also in the modern police departments of countries like USA, Germany, UK, Australia etc. This will be done by individual interviews of the officials in Abu Dhabi and the through questionnaires from other corners of the world. Primary research will be persistent on personal interviews with Abu Dhabi Police department officials that will give an inner view of the present positing and future goals. This will also be a key basis of understanding the indolence for change. This will help in bringing out the indication of the present managed system in Abu Dhabi police department organization. Ultimately the clients will help in providing the true print of Abu Dhabi Police department’s working and key areas of improvement. Data presented from this research will assist to evaluate the best practices model and the actual working. This will help in indicating the difference and the reason for Abu Dhabi police department organization to implement a successful change management. Abu Dhabi Police higher officials will be randomly selected with favorable time and place for the interviews to be carried out. Finally the research will be focused on the historical data by looking at the Abu Dhabi Police department’s strategy in the past. If any failure or any glitches are to be found in companies strategy they will be pointed in this research. This will help the writer to understand the Abu Dhabi Police department’s goals in the past and their implementation process. It is necessary to design a new experiment that test the statistical method. For the purpose it is necessary to collect a complete data of the site that would include different religion, ethnicity or gender. An open meeting with police as well as the general mass or public would be very relevant in this context in the initial stages. The mixed gender of male and female Police and public could well be excluded as that would complicate matters in the context of gender variable juxtaposed with other pre mentioned variables but considering other dependable factors sustaining it would yield to be fruitful in the long run. Data would be collected in relation to the gender, color, religion of the potential customers in respect to the composition of the management under the same parameters. All these variables are considered as very relevant and important features of the statistical method and it is to be seen if these aspects are fundamentally acceptable in practical world and it could well be mentioned that social service, especially security service industry, are a very relevant manifestation of the social dimensions. As a result if the test is carried out in a proper manner with proper calculations of the population involved then there is no reason that the results would be both logical and true at the end consideration. In accordance to the basic test selected it could be stated that it could be possible that the outcome would be relatively logical in the sense that it would ultimately follow the trends of social facilitation theory in marketing and thus it would be agreeable with the statistical method and thus a well formulated marketing strategy can be constructed for the benefit of the Police and public alike as a definite method can be chosen between coercive and consensual policing. However, it should be stated that there would be few independent variables in the context of the test that could not be explained by the statistical method statements. Here the ethical consideration of the potential Police and public or the ethnic background of the potential Police and public may not be a very relevant factor. Thus there could be some flaws to the collection of the population but if these aspects are kept in mind then the shortcomings would easily be negotiated during the ultimate computations. As a result the test would appear to be a full proofed measure that would be able to define and prove the fundamental aspects and statistical method applied. It should be noted that the access to the research participants is both easy and hard. In terms of the public interview it would be relatively easy to identify and access but the difficult part would be to frame the questioner in accordance to the color and creed of the participants in general. In case of the police interview there would be more homogenous pattern in terms of the questioner but the difficult part would be to gain access. For the purpose it would be arranged to acquire permission from the hope department. Data will be collected using two different methods. The first will be interviews, which involve citizens, police officers from the sampled areas. This is an advantage in that feedback can be obtained instantly. The second will be use of questionnaires, which will be administered to the sampled areas. The questionnaire to be used will be the opened type. The advantage of this method is that the information obtained can be quantified to reflect that the sampled group as part of the entire population. The advantage is that it is easier to analyze data collected through questionnaire method. It should be noted that reliability for the researcher was achieved in the assurance that only a specified group of men and women were utilized in regard to the research. That group was focused mostly on customers and retails along with administrative personnel. This gave the research a more focused view of the research goal. The validity was managed as a result of this focus and emphasized in the considerations involved in the data collection, variables, and sampling methods. Privacy and confidentiality methods included assigning numeric and alphabetic coding to each responding questionnaire. This ensured anonymity in regard to the researcher and the subjects of the research process and a thorough qualitative method would be used during data analysis. The basic advantages of qualitative measures are multifold. Firstly, it presents a completely realistic approach that the statistical analysis and numerical data used in research based on quantitative research cannot provide. Another advantage of qualitative measures is that it is more flexible in nature in terms of collected information interpretation, subsequent analysis and data collection. It also presents a holistic point of view of the investigation. Furthermore this approach of research allows the subjects to be comfortable thus be more accurate as research is carried on in accordance to the subject’s own terms. The best statistical method would be to interview long well formulated day to day working procedure at a specific and well selected location. Throughout the procedure, it should be noticed whether there are specific variables within the testable population or not. These variables would be extremely important while evaluating the basic data in the final stages where the adjustments would be made to the formulated data in accordance to the observations. As a conclusion to the outline of this paper it can always be stated that Qualitative research is a process that includes interpretative paradigm under the measures of theoretical assumptions and the entire approach is based on sustainability that is depended on people’s experience in terms of communication. It can also be mentioned that the total approach is based on the fact that reality is created on the social formulations. It can also be mentioned that the basic target of qualitative research is instrumented towards social context under normal circumstances where it would be possible to interpret, decode and describe the significances of a phenomenon. The entire process is operational under the parameter of interpretative paradigm that can minimize illusion and share subjectivity under contextualization, authenticity and complexity of the investigation. References: Lamb, Davis; (2004); Cult to Culture: The Development of Civilization on the Strategic Strata; National Book Trust; Wellington

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Black Death Essay Example for Free

Black Death Essay Around 1330, a horrible plague was reported to break out in China. Trade between Asia and Europe currently was frequent, and in 1347 rat-infested ships from China arrived in Sicily, bringing the disease with them. Since Italy was the center of European commerce, business, and politics, this provided the perfect opportunity for the disease to spread. To the Europeans, it seemed to come out of nowhere and kill everyone in its path. The bubonic plague, as it is called today, continued at 10-year intervals throughout the Middle Ages. It spread rapidly for a variety of reasons. Poor living conditions were probably the number one factor in the passing of this disease. People believed that washing themselves would open their pores and let the disease in, so bathing was rare. This of course, as we know today, only excelled the spread of the bubonic plague. The bubonic plague had extreme effects on the demographics of Europe. The worst epidemic claimed the lives of nearly 25 million people, all in under five years. It took at least two centuries for Western Europe to regain its population. Urban populations recovered quickly, in some cases within a couple years, through immigration from the countryside because of increased opportunities in the cities. Rural population recovered itself slowly, because peasants left their farms for the cities. This time period in which the plague spread and killed so many people was known as the Black Death. The Black Death had major effects on Europe. Wars stopped and trade slowed considerably. People were forbidden to gather in groups and religious services were suspended. Homes of infected people were sealed off to protect others from the plague. Businesses shut down their doors, having a huge impact of the economic aspects of Europe. Many people fled to the country to get away from where they thought was the hot spot for the plague. The bubonic plague changed the political, social, economical, and religious aspects of Europe forever and had an affect on the way things are today. There were many consequences to the increases and declines of population and European society. People fled to the city because everyone around them way dying. So many died, in fact, that it had major effects on the population in Europe, which, in turn had effects on many aspects of society. Farmers who had provided food for people were fleeing and food was scarce. Government, trade, and commerce virtually came to a halt. No aspect of European society was not affected by the coming of the plague and by its duration. The demography of Europe in the late middle ages can be easily related to overpopulation in the modern world. Poor living conditions due to overcrowding led to the rapid spread of the bubonic plague. If a plague was ever to break out in such places like China, Africa, or any other 3rd world country, it would be devastating. In Africa there is a major epidemic or the Ebola virus. It is still running ramped throughout the country, and it is not treatable by antibiotics. Poor living conditions contribute to the deadly position of this virus, and science has no known cure. If it was to ever spread to America the impact would be great and might be similar to the consequences of the bubonic plague in the middle ages. Overpopulation and overcrowding lead to poor living conditions which then lead to the rapid spread of any disease that may happen to come.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Is Global Warming A Natural Phenomenon Environmental Sciences Essay

Is Global Warming A Natural Phenomenon Environmental Sciences Essay Is the temperature rising or is it just us? One of the most highly debated topics in todays society is global warming. Are we humans destroying the Earth we live on without knowing its devastating effects or is it the inevitable? Some say that the burden we put on the Earth is causing a rise in the greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide emissions. Others argue that global warming is naturally occurring or it truly does not exist. How can something not exist when all the evidence points to it? Recent studies have shown that an increase in carbon dioxide concentrations and other greenhouse gases caused by human activity is warming up the planet. Researchers and scientists have been studying the climate changes from the late 1950s up till today and no findings have pointed towards anything but humans causing this disaster. A way to define global warming is through the Greenhouse Effect. The process starts with the solar radiation to the Earths surface which absorbs the rays and heats up the surface. Since the Earth does not absorb all the radiation from the sun, it is simply reflected off its surface back into space. It is here where the problem occurs. When the rays reflect off the Earths surface they are not leaving the lower atmosphere due to greenhouse gases and other emissions. This causes the infrared rays to stay inside the Earths atmosphere and cause the temperature to rise. When an infrared ray strikes a molecule like carbon dioxide or a greenhouse gas it causes the bond to vibrate and it gains kinetic energy. Now that this molecule has more kinetic energy, it can transfer it to one of the two major gases in the atmosphere, oxygen and nitrogen. When the gases receive this extra energy it causes a general heating of the atmosphere. The diagram on the next page depicts how the process works. FIGURE 1: The Greenhouse Effect In the late 1950s, researchers carefully studied the amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. At that time, scientists agreed that the amount of carbon dioxide in parts per million was 315. Now today in 2008, that parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is about 385. What caused this increase of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases? Human activities such as fossil fuel burning, cement, production, and deforestation caused this increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. How do we know that these numbers are accurate? Scientists can measure the amount of greenhouse gases in from bubbles of air that were naturally preserved in ice in Antarctica and Greenland dating back to more than 650,000 years ago. The amount of carbon dioxide concentrations in the last 400,000 years had a cyclical pattern. The amounts would rise to just about 300 parts per million and decrease to about 200 parts per million in a 100,000 year time frame then rise a gain. Just recently the parts per million have skyrocketed. Today that number of parts per million is still increasing and is almost at 400. Why is it now that this number has increased rapidly? The population today of the entire world is booming to more than six billion people. In the United States the population is currently more than 300,000,000. No more than twenty years ago the population in 1990 was around 249,000,000. In that little of time the population grew more than 50,000,000. Now think of all the countries in the world. The population is putting the Earth at risk and this is why the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are increasing. Another argument that proves the global is heating up is evidence from the I.P.C.C. (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Last year the I.P.C.C. published a six year long study on the science of global warming and picked up the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts. (Monastersky) The I.P.C.C. has gathered information from nine different global using land stations. Each of these land stations cover large regions and record the surface temperature. Each land station from around 1950 has shown an increase of land temperature from 0Â °C to 0.4Â °C. Overall, in the last century the Earths surface temperature has increased by 1.3Â °F. (Schneider) Even though this is the tiniest increase it still effects how the Earth emits radiation. The hotter the temperature of the Earths surface gets the more it needs to emit the radiation. This causes a problem because the greenhouse gases and other molecules are reflecting the rays back to the Earth and are staying in the atmosphere, once again c ausing a rise in temperature. Figure 2: Global Temperature Time Series The figure above shows the Earths surface temperature in nine different locations Now that the evidence proves the Earths surface is heating up and the atmosphere is being ruined by carbon dioxide emissions, how can we prove that humans are doing this? In a recent study from Purdue University, they named the U.S.A.s top cities for carbon dioxide emissions. A few of the top cities were Los Angeles, Chicago, Pennsylvania Carbon County, and Indiana County. From the image below, the key shows that levels with red or brown areas are top producers of carbon dioxide emissions. What makes these areas red? Studies show that the reason is the burning of fossil fuels. Examples of fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. These three sources of energy play a huge role in the world because they are used everyday in excessive amounts. When fossil fuels are burned or used they produce carbon dioxide emissions. Figure 3: Top Carbon Dioxide Emitters in the United States The figure above shows areas in the United States that emit carbon dioxide. The areas that emit the most are shown in red or brown. The Earth can only absorb so much of these emissions that eventually it cannot anymore and it causes excessive amounts in the atmosphere. How do humans burn fossil fuels? Everyday activities like driving a car, using an aerosol can, working at a factory, and working at power plants. Each of these burn fossil fuels and destroys the atmosphere. Think of how many cars are on the road right now driving and burning gas. The amount of the carbon emissions coming form vehicles is overwhelming and is causing this change in climate. Finally, car manufacturers are realizing that this is becoming a huge epidemic and they are now producing hybrid vehicles and more gas efficient vehicles. Factories and power plants produce a ridiculous amount of pollution each day that is doing irreversible damage to the Earth. An argument against global warming is that it is naturally occurring. This is a possibility because no expert or researcher has completely understood the Earths cycle of ice ages and warm periods. There is a slight possibly that this could be just one of the Earths warm periods. Evidence proves otherwise. According to researchers it is nearly impossible to explain this climate change without external force. This means that something other than a natural cause is a factor in the climate change. Another counterargument against global warming is that the rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are from the ocean. When researchers studied the oceans, they saw that levels of the carbon dioxide in the ocean were high like the amount in the atmosphere. If the ocean was emitting carbon dioxide then the levels in the ocean would be lower. With all the evidence, it is clear that humans are contributing to global warming. This has only become a problem now because our economy is going as well as our population. Fifty years ago, the economy was not even close to being as advanced and big as it is today. Our population is still growing and we are only taking baby steps to fix this problem. If harsh action does not take place soon we will destroy the Earth forever. The warming of the oceans and atmosphere could trigger irreversible environmental changes in coming decades. (Monastersky)

Thursday, September 19, 2019

How Shelley and Fowles Present the Socially Excluded Essay -- Frankens

How Shelley and Fowles Present the Socially Excluded Men are numbered among beasts who renounce society, whereby they are destitute of laws and the ordination of civility. Hence this ensures that men, in creation are best, but when averse to justice and the law, are the worst of all creatures. (p.36 intro The Tempest by William Shakespeare, edited by Frank Kermode 1961) For the purpose of this essay, I shall focus my comparison on Victor and Clegg and analyse the language they use. I will also explore the form and structure used and give a personal response which will include some commentary about the novels in terms of their social/historical and literary contexts. People's behaviour in social roles makes possible the life of a society and its members. Social roles are learned from culture, which defines how they should be performed. They are not instinctive. However, people learn many roles during childhood by observing their parents and other adults. But on the other hand problems may result if the demands of one role interfere with those of another. This situation is called role conflict. Victor and Clegg are excluded by society primarily because they have transgressed society's boundaries, that is to say, Victor plays God and creates "a new species which would bless him as its creator" p.52 ; his male monster is built from old body parts and strange chemicals because he is determined to learn about "the secrets of heaven and hell"p.37. Ironically, Victor creates a "hideous wretch" p.73 which is "an outcast in the world forever" p.129. However, this "filthy daemon" p.73 is initially gentle and has a kind, baby-like nature, just like normal humans. Paradoxically, the monster is actually ... ...is a creation abandoned and shunned by society and Victor his creator. Therefore Shelley's use of letters enables the narrative to shift from one character to another while remaining within the conventions of the standard novel. Letters are also used to good effect as a means of social interaction because characters are frequently out of immediate contact with one another. Walton never encounters his sister in the novel; his relationship with her is based wholly on the use of letters. The same goes for Victor as he often isolates himself from his loved ones but he does receive letters from Alphonse and Elizabeth and this marks attempts to connect with him. Again, the monster uses written communication in order to develop a relationship with Victor when, at the end of the novel, he leads him northward by means of notes on the trees and rocks he passes.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

impresonment is more humane than capitol punishment :: essays research papers

Imprisonment is More Humane than Capital Punishment Murder, where to commit it. Canada vs. U.S.A. In this essay you will learn about Peter and Joe. Peter lives in Canada, he killed five people and was sentenced to the maximum sentence of twenty-five years. Joe lives in the United States and also killed five people, he received a death sentence. Please remember in this essay Peter and Joe are not real people they are just used to explain this essay. First we will learn about Peter’s sentence of twenty-five years, then we will learn about Joe’s death sentence. First lets talk about Peter. He has a life sentence, which in Canada is twenty-five years. I believe this is not a whole life, with all the privileges Peter can earn it’s just like sitting at home, and not going to work. After fifteen years Peter can apply for parole, he most likely won’t get it considering he killed five people. Peter has his own room with a toilet, still he has no privacy. Guards are watching him throughout most of the day. Peter has many privileges like television, gym access, library access, the telephone and also visitors. However these privileges are not â€Å"free† they are earned by being good. The question about going insane well I really don’t think he could. If he can sit around, watch television, read books, workout, and well be lazy, how could you go insane like that?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now, back to Joe, he lives in the United States. He was convicted of killing five people also, he received a death sentence. Joe is now waiting on death row. His death date is three years from now. Joe spends about twenty-three hours a day in his room on death row, he gets about one hour to walk around. Like Peter Joe does not have privileges like television, gym access, and visitors. He gets books and maybe the telephone at certain times. Now about two months before Joe’s death date he is told that it has been changed to another two years from now. This could happen up to ten times before the actual date of his death. I think that this could make a person go insane, sitting in a room almost all day, knowing when your date to die is and then changing it over and over again.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Marijuana Should Not Be Outlawed Essay

Human laws are based on moral and ethical principles. This applies to almost all existing laws aside from the drug laws. Because of this aspect of the drug laws, much clamor is present as many groups are calling for the legalization of drugs like marijuana. Marijuana and other illegal drugs are not evil but it has gained a negative connotation because of numerous misinterpretations. The prohibition of drugs has also brought about negative effects instead of positive effects. In analysis, legalization may even prove to have more benefits. According to Benson Roe, the professor emeritus and chairman of the Cardiothoracic surgery at the University of California, there is no reason why marijuana, cocaine and heroine would be called poison as these substances have not been proven to have any ill effects on the health of a person. Roe narrated an incident when he was removing destroyed heart valves from a drug user and he got curious and consulted the San Francisco coroner to what extent do illegal drugs cause death. Roe was surprised to find out that the only causes of death coming from drugs come from the very rare cases of overdose and the use of infected intravenous injections. According to the coroner, â€Å"clean, reasonable dosages of heroin, cocaine and marijuana are pathologically harmless† (Roe). It is argued that marijuana causes psychological damage but the truth is no scientific evidence has traced mental illness or psychological damage to the use of marijuana. Marijuana users have been found to exhibit psychological distress after intake of the drug. However, it has been proven that these effects are temporary and will pass away after some time. It has also been argued that the harms brought about by marijuana have been scientifically proven but the Lancet, a British Medical Journal, concluded that based on 30 years worth of research, smoking marijuana is not harmful to health even if it is used in the long-term. Likewise, marijuana use has also been related to brain damage. This was thought to be proven in an earlier study when rhesus monkeys were exposed to marijuana smoke, however, a more reliable study wherein monkeys who were forced to inhale a significant amount of marijuana smoke manifested no brain damage. Anti-drug advocates also argue that marijuana has addictive properties even as evidence points to the direction that marijuana is not addictive. Less than one percent of marijuana smokers smoke marijuana on a daily basis. Majority of the people who smoke marijuana only smoke it occasionally. Some people who wish to stop smoking marijuana have no trouble breaking the habit. Even if a person experiences symptoms from marijuana withdrawal, these are usually mild symptoms (Drug Policy). There is also no reason to classify marijuana as illegal when other substances that have proven to be more addictive and harmful to the health, such as tobacco and alcohol, remain legal. In 2005, the number of deaths that has been associated with marijuana in England and in Wales only totals 19 while tobacco has been associated with 86,500 deaths and alcohol with 6,627 deaths. The number of deaths caused by alcohol and tobacco do not compare to the number of deaths caused by marijuana. Even other drugs which have more notoriety still fall short as heroine and morphine account for only 842 deaths, while cocaine (including crack cocaine) is associated with only 176 deaths (Transform). The use of drugs like marijuana does not affect other people aside from the person ingesting the drug. Technically, a person who uses drugs does not violate the rights of any other person. If a person under the influence of drugs violates the rights of another person or commits a crime, this is the time when he/she should be prosecuted by law. Alcohol remains legal even as drunk people commit heinous and even brutal crimes. The substance is not an excuse for committing a crime and drinking alcohol is not a crime in itself but when a person commits a crime under the influence of alcohol, this is when he/she is prosecuted. The same should apply for the use of drugs (Cussen & Block, p. 532). Drugs are not evil per se but it has gained a negative image because of negative propaganda. The media always make use of the phrase â€Å"drug-related† in the presence of a drug in a crime even as the drug has not been indicated as a direct cause of the crime. Usually, the crime is not motivated by the drug. It is usually motivated by another external factor. The media has inadvertently played a role in giving drugs a negative image. This practice has been so common that no one even looks to identify if a crime really is related to drugs (Jackson). The anti-drug lobby also makes use of vague and emotive statements to persuade the people to support their cause (Russell). Even politicians make use of these statements and call for tougher drug laws simply to forward their political careers (Jackson). People interpret these vague and emotive statements differently and this may be identified as a basic element of a black propaganda. In a book entitled Hugs not Drugs: A Drug Abuse Prevention Manual published in the Philippines, the author starts by narrating a story of a studious young girl who got mixed with the wrong set of friends who influenced her to use marijuana. As a result, the young girl dropped out from school and had relationships with men that took advantage of her low self-esteem. After realizing what had happened to her, she decided to undergo rehabilitation. And after a tearful reunion with her parents, she vowed to stay away from drugs. This story is very common and immediately suggests that marijuana caused all the negative things failing to look at other factors which might have caused the girl to behave the way that she did. Additionally, the book indicated that drug use has been directly related with juvenile and even violent crime. However, the book does not cite where the information was taken or what study linked drugs with crime. The book also does not have a clear reference page evidencing that it is not a reliable source. Many critics of drug also make use of violent and obscene images in an attempt to prove that drugs are harmful. Drug prohibition results in too many expenses for the government as the drug laws leads to the incarceration of many non-violent offenders. In 2002, it is estimated that prohibition expenses amounted to $18. 22 billion indicating that â€Å"incarceration is an expensive policy option† (Taylor, Trace & Stevens, p. 3-4). Prohibition is not good, in fact, it is even the greatest ally of the drug dealers as drugs are priced very high because they are illegal and not regulated (Jackson, 1998). Legalization will even benefit the general public. Marijuana has been related to crime rate by anti-drug groups but all unbiased studies have pointed to the direction that marijuana does not cause people to do criminal acts. The only crime that marijuana users commit is that they possess the drug (Drug Policy). Additionally, legalization will come with regulation which will eliminate the already minimal number of deaths as a result of drug use. Also, crime rate will decrease because drug prices will be regulated and people would no longer need to resort to crime to be able to buy the drugs. It will also be another source of income for the government as the drug trade will be taxed and the costs of prohibition would be avoided (Roe). No scientific evidence has proven that marijuana is harmful to the health and it also has not been identified as a cause of crime. Because of this information, there is no reason to outlaw marijuana. Legalizing marijuana may even be the better option as it will be a source of income for the government, all the while avoiding the high costs of prohibition. It will also reduce crime rate as well as prevent the incarceration of people that are merely caught possessing drugs. The negative image that drugs have gained is mainly because of negative propaganda.

Monday, September 16, 2019

The revelatory dilemma presented in the play also revolves around the economic situations Nora

The theme of feminism as it relates to A Doll’s House concerns mainly Nora’sreactions to the alternate drives of so called domestic tranquility and the formulation of an effective identity that works outside of the domestic sphere.The revelatory dilemma presented in the play also revolves around the economic situations Nora finds herself in, linking, as many plays of the era did, concern with money to moral action, depicting Krogstad as an immoral character and linking his moral action to Nora, as others including her father do, through the use of money.   â€Å"Nora, Nora! Just like a woman!But seriously, Nora, you know what I think about that sort of thing. No debts, no borrowing. There's something constrained, something ugly even, about a home that's founded on borrowing and debt† (Ibsen 149).   Mainly, from a feminist perspective, the revelatory dimensions of Nora’s decisions inform most of the work, in terms of her gradual shift away from the stif ling domestic sphere towards a greater independence that is formed by an establishment of greater degrees of knowledge.   As she has more revelations as a character, Nora grows to a new awareness of what was previously hidden, and manages to put these changes into perspective.Although it seems at times that she is overwhelmed, Nora is generally able to get over her knowledge and use the concealed information to some future advantage of her own.   Nora’s system of discovery is based on her early life partly, when she was alternately dependent on her father and then her husband.   She was sheltered by this transition and does not have a very good idea about the real world, but she also is cunning enough to negotiate for her independence, and the discovery of secrets along the way drives her towards this independence as a goal.Ibsen, H.   A Doll’s House.   New York:   Penguin 1994.   

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Human Resource Practices in Sme Sector

EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 Human Resource Practices in SME Sector: An Exploratory Case Study of Pakistan Naveed R. Khan Faculty of Management and Economics Sciences, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900, Malaysia naveed. r. [email  protected] com Mustafa Rehman Khan Faculty of Management Sciences, Institute of Business and Technology, 75190, Pakistan [email  protected] com Abstract The role of human resource practices (HRP) at its significance in small and medium enterprises (SME) become an emerging topic, especially in developing countries.This study aims to gauge the level of HR practice being exercise in SME. Quantitative approach has been followed and data was collected from 195 SMEs through a structure questionnaire. Findings suggested that SME are performing moderate level of HR practices and owner/managers are aware with the importance of HR practices in their organizations. Moreover, compensation is the most significant factor of HR practices foll owed by employee performance, recruitment and selection and training and development.HR function has been substantially implemented and HR practices are being carried out in number of SME and is contributes at all phases of organization’s functions. The globalization and dynamic milieu is forcing the SME sector to switch informal functions to formal manner. However more coherent approach is required to replace the traditional way of practicing HR functions. This study validates the implementation of HR practices in SME as documented in the literature. It further provides a reference for academicians and practitioner to build upon a contention for future research. 7 7Keywords: recruitment and selection, training and development, employee performance, compensation. COUNTRY CASE STUDIES Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=2155840 EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 1. Introduction In the era of globalization, business environment becomes highly dynamic with high r isk and uncertainty. This uncertainty decreases market share and increases organizational inefficiency. As elsewhere, Pakistani SMEs too are affected by the recent global economic meltdown. Escalating inflation in Pakistan further compounded the situation for SME growth.Human resource working in SME sector plays a vital role in economic growth without any space for their personal growth. It is therefore observed that retention is one of the major problems in small and medium size industries. Slightly better emoluments provide good reasons to an employee to switch over from one organization to another organization. Growth in salary in SME sector is far behind the growth in inflation which is a source of depression and made them less productive at their workplace (Khan, 2011). SMEs are identified as the leading employment generation sector, nation wide.In context of the Karachi city which contributes 30% in manufacturing sector of Pakistan and 90% in Sindh’s GDP and around 20% of the total GDP of Pakistan. These figures indicate the potential and further growth in this sector further it prove the argument that SME sector shall plays pivotal role and have potential to grow. Moreover, extensive economics activities at sea ports and industrial zones increase the significance of Karachi city, hence is called the financial and business hub of Pakistan, providing millions of economic opportunities (Ghouri et al. 2011). This study has been conducted to measure the gap between philosophies and practices of HR practices. HR scholars have argued that SMEs are insignificantly practicing the HR function in Pakistan. It may be consider that the owner / managers are not able to utilize their human resource strategically and coherently. Perhaps this is due to the shortage of HR professional in SME sector. Further, fragile structure and substandard formalization intends management to ignore organization’s most valued assets, that is, 8 the workforce.This ignorance causes the job dissatisfaction in employees and ultimately affects the organizational performance. However, employees perform the essential tasks within the organization, and organizational human resource systems are designed to support and manage this human capital. 7 This study aims to measure HR practices in SME operating in Karachi, Pakistan. The city is considered as the hub of commerce and financial activities of Pakistan. SMEs operating are having a mix of proper and casual setup.The study is designed to measure the level of HR practices and identify the most significant HR practice among recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation and employee performance. Consistent with the discussion so far, this study seeks to answer the following questions. 1. What is the level of HR practices followed in the SME? 2. What is the most/least important practice of HR, among four facets, in SME? 1. 2 Brief Overview of Employment in Pakistan Over the years, Pakistan ha s substantially moved from agriculture economy to manufacturing economy.Economically active size is the largest in the total population of the country. Human capital is enriched with diverse skills from unskilled labor to high-skilled critical mass. Pakistan’s urban growth rate is highest in South Asia. Estimated in 1980s, urban population growth rate was 4. 5% per annum and projected to 60% by the turn of the century. That proved true. Karachi’s urban economy and its employment pool is the glaring example of this. Its formal and informal sectors provide greater employment potential and are in a position to use human capital efficiently (Khan et al. , 2011).ISSN: 1582-8859 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=2155840 EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 At present, SMEs are recognized as the backbone of the country’s economy by representing nearly 90% of all the enterprises in Pakistan. SMEs form a significant po rtion of the manufacturing and services sector. According to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s report (2010) the labor force today is divided in agriculture 43%, manufacturing 13%, construction 7%, transport 6%, and services 14% and the other head carrying the rest of the burden.The total workforce in Pakistan is 102. 7 million; out of which 55. 77 million people are employed in 2010 with $2400 per capita income; this labor force will increase to 154. 4 million by 2030 with the growth rate of 2. 05. However, 15. 2% unemployment rate was recoded in 2010. SMEs provide 80% employment of the non-agricultural labor force. In Pakistan small and medium enterprises offer diverse employment and production and share 40% in annual GDP of Pakistan (Khan, 2011). 2. Literature Review Pakistan’s SMEs sector is very different from SMEs working in industrialized world.Here, small and medium size businesses are usually not documented mostly with purpose. Pakistan has also a un ique culture of not sharing information with others. Freedom of public information is only on paper. Businesses profiles are not uploaded on the website and it is even so difficult for field researchers to collect basic information through interviews. Limited academic studies are conducted so far on HR practices in Pakistan’s SME environment. This study thus dependent on earlier researches conducted in environment other than Pakistan for conceptual understanding and theory development.Selected literature is reviewed for this study whose results are generalizable to any other environment. Basically, employees perform the essential tasks within the organization, and organizational human resource systems are designed to support and manage this human capital (Gramm and Schnell, 2001). HRM philosophy emphasizes on the benefits of meeting employee needs and enables them to have control over their work, moreover, satisfied workers willing to improve their efficiency, effectiveness a nd productivity to get the work done.The extensive use of high-involvement work practices represents a significant investment in human 7 capital. Basic microeconomics suggests that investments in human capital (employees) are justified when such investments are more than offset by future returns in the form of increased productivity. Thus, firms will make greater use of such practices when employees are viewed as particularly vital to firm success (MacDuffie, 1995). By adopting effective HR practices firms can acquire not only new skills and knowledge and change the attitudes of their employees but also improve their organizational performance.Through effective HR practices firm can get rid of traditional ineffective and inefficient practices which in turn enable the firm to maximize the achievement of its objectives (Delery and Doty, 1996). Armstrong (2006) defines human resource management (HRM) as the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organization's most val ued assets – the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business.Findings from previous studies indicated that increased concern for HR practices among firms resulted from the need to develop HR as a source of competitive advantage (Walker, 2001; Wright et al. , 2001; Wright and Snell, 1991). In relation with the SMEs recent studies acknowledged the relevance and applicability of HR practices in small and medium scale firms (Nankervis et al. , 2002; Singh and Vohra, 2005; Chang and Huang, 2005; Schlogl, 2004) SMEs who successfully integrate their HR system with their vision and organizational objectives, are achieve their goals in a more organized manner (Singh and Vohra, 2005).Hence it would build-up more 9 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=2155840 EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 comprehensive business strategy to retain the position in the industr y. According to Chang and Huang (2005) human resources are viewed as a strategic asset that creates value when embedded in the operational system in a manner that can enhance firm’s abilities to deal with a turbulent environment. Sevral studies indicated that to improve organizational performance and develop a competitive advantage, firms need to implement an ffective HR practice system (Zheng et al. , 2006; Osman et al. , 2011; Katou, 2012). Studies on HR practices indicated that HR theories and models are assumed that they are applicable to all types of organizations regardless of their type, sizes and nature of human resource practice functions (Arthur, 1994; MacDuffie, 1995; Huselid, 1995; Youndt et al. , 1996). However, Nankervis et al. (2002) study findings suggested that previous empirical evidences are still not able to provide enough evidence to suggest that HR practices works for all kinds of organizations.Traditional literature on human resource practices identifie d four general categories, which include: Staffing, training, evaluation and compensation (Dessler, 2008; Mathis and Jackson, 2008; Fisher et al. , 2006). In few cases, these categories are aggregated in a slightly different manner, and certainly there is overlap and interrelationship among them (Shub and Stonebraker, 2009). Shub and Stonebraker (2009) define these categories as: Staffing generally involves the human resource activities of planning, job analysis and design, recruitment and selection.Training generally involves the HR activities of employee training, organization development and career development. Evaluation generally involves HR activities of various evaluation designs, both formal and informal, and different evaluation periodicities. Lastly, Compensation generally involves the HR activities of base wage or salary system, incentive system and perks, as well as benefits. Generally, the relationship-based approaches to staffing, training, evaluation, and compensation are shown in the literature to be directly associated with firm performance (Huselid, 1995; Osman et al. 2011; Ngo et al. , 1998) 2. 1 Human Resource Management and its Measurability Stone (2005) defined human resource management as it involves the productive use of people in 7 achieving the organization’s strategic business objectives and the satisfaction of individual employees need. This definition clearly indicates that the organizations’ objectives are dependent on their work force productivity. Moreover, work task, work environment, freedom in work, opportunities provided and the benefits are provides are few of the most important needs a worker may perceive.The effective HRM practices are able to link these practices with organization structure and objectives. Many studies investigating human resource management practices have looked primarily into an organizational structure construct. To accurately measure â€Å"human resource practices†, a number of H R functions may need to be evaluated. However, these characteristics or facets may not be of equal importance to every organization. One of the most comprehensive and widely used measures for human resource practice is presented by Dessler (2008) and Fisher et al. 2006). In this study human resource management practices is characterized as multidimensional, and it has four major facets namely i) recruitment and selection, ii) training and development , iii) compensation, iv) employee performance evaluation. 2. 1. 1 Practice of Recruitment and Selection Recruitment and selection is the first facet of human resource practice, which involves planning, forecasting, and job analysis for the future demand of employees according to the need and demand of the firm.Moreover, various tools and techniques have been used by the firms for the improvement of staffing process to avoid the loss in terms of time, money and potential employees. 2. 1. 2 Practice of Training 10 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES Eur oEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 Training is another dimension of human resource practice where firms invested on the development of their employees’ knowledge, skills ability and other on-job required skills to improve the productivity of employees.Training can transform human resource to human capital where skilled employee would better perform in the success of organization as compare the employees who can get training lesser or never. 2. 1. 3 Practice of Compensation Compensation is one of the most extrinsic practices of human resource function in an organization setting. This dimension determines the level of job of an employee on the basis of their perceived knowledge and experience.Moreover, the matching of their job knowledge with the pay or compensation provided them must demonstrate the market level competitive packages. Good compensation plan would therefore, inevitably influence on employees’ performance. However, the extent to which an employee who is getting the good compensation package will perform well would also depend on his/her overall assessment of various factors like the compensation package in other organizations in relation to the work load and the possibility of getting better compensation packages (Purani and Sahadev, 2008). . 1. 4 Practice of Evaluation This aspect of human resource practices generally involves the activities of various evaluation designs, both formal and informal, and different evaluation periodicities (Shub and Stonebraker, 2009). It is a means of getting better results by understanding and managing performance within an agreed framework of planned goals, standards and competency requirements. It functions as a continuous and evolutionary process, in which performance improves over time.Moreover, it provides the basis for regular and frequent dialogues between managers and individuals about performance and development needs (Armstrong, 2006). 3. Research Methodology The study comprises on a quantitative survey of 195 SMEs. The data was collected from the companies operating in Karachi through a self-administered questionnaire. The study covered manufacturing and 7 service sectors SMEs. In the study, SME referred to the firms employed between 10 to 250 employees, this definition have been adopted from the SME policy 2007 and SMEDA.The SME were identified and randomly selected from the listing of Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) and Jamal’s Yellow Pages. The questionnaire was adopted from Chew (2004) and modified according to the nature and objectives of the study and tested for reliability, prior to data collection. The questionnaire used in this study consisted of three sections. Section one focused on collecting background information of the respondents. Section two captured the characteristics of the firm and last section obtained the information concerning the HR practices adopted by the firm.To examine the hypotheses of the study, descripti ve statistics analysis were performed using SPSS 17. The sample size for this study was 300 however only 195 questionnaires, with response rate of 65%, were found acceptable for analysis. 3. 1 Reliability Testing To measure the reliability of the instruments used, Cronbach’s alpha was employed. According to Sekaran (2005), if the alpha value is greater then 0. 7, the instrument is acceptable. The internal consistency reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) for the scales used in this study are well above the level of 0. , thus are acceptable for the analysis purpose. In Table 3. 1, alpha scores of all variables with complete response of 195 SMEs are given. 11 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 Table – 1: Reliability Coefficients of the Constructs (n = 195) Constructs Recruitment and selection Training and development Compensation Employee performance No. of Items 4 6 6 5 Cronbach’s Alpha . 750 . 792 . 845 . 824 ISSN: 1582-8859 4. Rese arch Findings 4. 1 Characteristics of the Respondents The characteristics of the respondents are presented in the following table.Table – 2: Characteristics of the Respondents (n = 195) Variable(s) Gender Male Female Age 20-25 yrs 26-30 yrs 31-35 yrs 36-40 yrs 41-45 yrs 46-50 yrs Over 50 Education Intermediate Bachelors Masters MS/M. Phil PhD Other Total Frequency 167 28 %age 85. 6 14. 4 Variable(s) Marital Status Married Unmarried No response Position in Firm Owner but not manager Owner and manager Manager but not owner No Response Frequency 130 64 1 %age 66. 7 32. 8 0. 5 29 48 40 32 16 21 9 3 77 103 7 0 5 195 14. 9 24. 6 20. 5 16. 4 8. 2 10. 8 4. 6 1. 5 39. 5 52. 8 3. 6 0 2. 6 100. 14 108 70 3 7. 2 55. 4 35. 9 1. 5 12 7 Work Experience 1 – 4 Years 5 – 7 Years 8 – 10 11 – 13 14 – 16 ; 17 Total 42 37 45 20 19 32 195 21. 5 19 23 10. 2 9. 7 16. 4 100. 0 As shown in the table 2, statistics of the respondents clearly and logically depict the pic ture of their characteristics. In total of 195 respondents 167 were males and 28 were females. Likewise 130 respondents were married and 64 were unmarried. The age and years of work experience among the respondents ranged from 20 to more than 50 years and one to more than 17 years respectively.In terms of education 3 respondents obtained intermediate certificate, 77 obtained bachelor’s degrees, 103 have master’s degree and 7 have MS/M. Phil degree, however none of the respondent has a PhD. COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 The in-depth analysis of statistics highlighted some interesting facts of the respondents. The Female owner/manager represented the 14. 4 % of total respondents which show significant contribution of females in the total workforce, however, this proportion need to be increase at substantial level.Moreover, sixty percent respondents’ age ranged from 20 to 35 years, it shows that young entrepreneurs/managers are coming into the industries with new passion for growth. Likewise 52. 8 percent respondents have a Master’s degree. This combination of ‘young age’ along with ‘education’ shall change the mind-set of traditional business practices and may bring new innovative ideas and measures which shall boost the SME sector in near future. 4. 2 Characteristics of the Firm The characteristics of the firm are summarize in Table 3.These characteristics depict the picture of the firm’s form of business, number of employees working, age of the firm and type of business. Table – 3: Characteristics of the Firm (n = 195) Variable(s) Form of Business Solo proprietor Partnership Private limited Age of Company 3-5 years 6-8 years 9-11 years 12-14 years ; 14 years Total Frequency 24 74 97 23 15 42 51 64 195 %age 12 38 50 11. 7 7. 6 21. 5 26 32. 8 100. 0 Variable(s) No of Employees 10 to 50 51-100 101-150 151-200 201 – 250 Type of Business Manufacturing Se rvices Total Frequency %age 45 16 26 73 35 89 106 195 23. 8. 2 13. 3 37. 4 17. 9 45. 6 54. 4 100. 0 13 7 The in-depth statistical analysis shows that fifty percent SME are the private limited firms and 32. 8 % firms are operating since more than 14 years. Likewise, 37. 4 % SME employed the workers range from 151 to 200. Lastly, 54. 4 % SME are fall under the category of services firms. 4. 3 Distribution of firm by Business sector The SME, participated in this study, represented various business sectors in the manufacturing and services industry. The distribution of the sample firms by type of business sector is presented in table 4.Table – 4: Characteristics of the Firm (n = 195) Variable(s) Business Sectors Financial Institution Engineering/Construction Energy/Petroleum Frequency 18 23 5 %age 9. 2 11. 8 2. 6 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 Chemical/Pharmaceutical Education Textile Telecommunication Logistics Others Total 18 15 19 18 17 62 195 9. 2 7. 7 9. 7 9. 2 8. 7 31. 8 100. 0 ISSN: 1582-8859 The statistics indicated that eight different business sector firms were participated in this study. Most of the firms are from Engineering/Construction business sector which comprises of 11. % of the firms participated in the study. Energy/Petroleum business sector have the least presentation in the sample which comprises of only 2. 6%. However, the ‘others’ head carrying the rest of the burden comprises of 31. 8%. 4. 4 Human Resource Practices The mean and standard deviation scores of HR practices variables which include recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation and employee performance are recorded, from the firms, are presented in table 5. The results depict that the mean scores of HR practices ranged from 3. 352 to 3. 83. Hence, at the general level, results suggest that the SME in the study practiced the HR function, to a certain extent. Furthermore, recruitment and selection is moderately practiced in the organization (mean = 3. 49, SD = 1. 10) along with training and development (mean = 3. 35, SD = 1. 081), compensation (mean = 3. 68, SD = . 975), and employee performance (mean = 3. 69, SD = 1. 34). Table – 5: Descriptive Statistics of Variables (n = 195) Items Recruitment and selection Training and development Compensation Employee performance Overall HRM Practices 4. . 1 Recruitment and selection Table 6 highlights the descriptive statistics for each item. Out of the four items of selection, â€Å"only the best people are hired to work in this organization† (mean = 3. 74, SD = 1. 07) followed by â€Å"the values and beliefs of this organization are discussed in interviews with potential employees† showed the second highest mean value of 3. 69 (SD = 1. 054), followed by, â€Å"when new employees are hired, they must go through an extensive hiring process in which they are interviewed a number of times† (mean = 3. 44, SD =1. 53), and â€Å"employ ees of this organization are involved in the hiring of their peers† (mean 3. 11, SD = 1. 152). In general, the SMEs appeared to have moderate level selection practices in their organization. Table – 6: Descriptive Results of recruitment and selection (n=195) Mean 3. 497 3. 352 3. 683 3. 682 3. 553 Standard (SD) 1. 10 1. 081 . 975 1. 349 1. 126 Deviation 14 7 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 Items Only the best people are hired to work in this organization. The values and beliefs of this organization are discussed in interviews with potential employees.When new employees are hired, they must go through an extensive hiring process in which they are interviewed a number of times. Employees of this organization are involved in the hiring of their peers. Total Mean (Selection) 4. 4. 2 Training and development Table 7 highlights the descriptive statistics for each item. Out of the six items, â€Å"people are properly oriented and trained upon joining this organization† showed the highest level of training practice (mean = 3. 67, SD =1. 042), followed by â€Å"the company provides enough training for the employees to learn new ways to do their job† (mean = 3. 9, SD = 1. 037). â€Å"This organization does provide regular opportunities for personal and career development† (mean = 3. 43, SD = 1. 045). â€Å"Training provided by the firm often consists of both classrooms teachings and On-Job-Training (OJT)† (mean = 3. 27, SD = 1. 168); â€Å"This organization subsidizes, assists or reimburses employees for training they get outside the organization†, mean = 3. 22, SD = 1. 097). However, â€Å"employees in this organization receive additional compensation† have the lowest level of practice in the variety of activities (mean = 2. 0, SD =1. 099). Table – 7: Descriptive results of Training and development (n = 195) Items People are properly oriented and trained upon joining this organization. Th is organization does provide regular opportunities for personal and career development This organization subsidizes, assists or reimburses employees for training they get outside the organization Employees in this organization receive additional compensation Training provided by the firm often consists of both classrooms teachings and On-Job-Training (OJT). The ompany provides enough training for the employees to learn new ways to do their job Total Mean (Training) 4. 4. 3 Compensation Out of the six items in table 8, â€Å"Employees are given positive recognition when they produce high quality work† showed the highest level of compensation practice (mean = 3. 89, SD =. 965), followed by â€Å"This organization pays well† and â€Å"This organization offers good opportunities for promotion† (mean = 3. 723, Mean 3. 6769 3. 4359 3. 2205 2. 9077 3. 2769 3. 5949 3. 352 SD 1. 04202 1. 04524 1. 09713 1. 09906 1. 16885 1. 3793 1. 081 Mean 3. 6923 3. 7436 3. 1128 3. 4410 3. 497 ISSN: 1582-8859 SD 1. 05405 1. 07737 1. 15213 1. 15337 1. 10 15 7 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 SD = . 927) and (mean = 3. 723, SD = 1. 018) respectively. â€Å"The way in which employees in this organization are compensated† (mean = 3. 65, SD = . 920). â€Å"This organization values individual excellence over teamwork† (mean = 3. 61, SD = 1. 015); â€Å"This organization offers a good benefits package compared to other organizations†, mean = 3. 49, SD = 1. 007).Table – 8: Descriptive Results of Compensation (n = 195) Items This organization pays well The way in which employees in this organization are compensated This organization offers a good benefits package compared to other organizations This organization values individual excellence over teamwork Employees are given positive recognition when they produce high quality work This organization offers good opportunities for promotion Total Mean (Compensation ) 4. 4. 4 Employee performance SMEs are highly intended to let its employees know, how they are performing (mean = 4. 08, SD = 2. 98).Table 9 the descriptive statistics is highlighted for each item. The measurement of an employee's performance on the job is a priority in this organization receives the 2 nd highest mean value (mean = 3. 77, 16 SD = . 895), followed by the measurement of turnover and absenteeism is a priority in this organization† and â€Å"when evaluating the employees for promotion, seniority is one of the criteria taken into account† (mean = 3. 517, SD = . 937) and (mean = 3. 517, SD = . 970) respectively. However, â€Å"this organization 7 makes a point of keeping track of factors that it considers critical for success† receive the lowest mean value (mean = 3. 0, SD =. 959). Table – 9: Descriptive Results of Employee performance (n = 195) Items The measurement of an employee's performance on the job is a priority in this organization. Th is organization makes a point of keeping track of factors that it considers critical for success. The measurement of turnover and absenteeism is a priority in this Organization When evaluating the employees for promotion, seniority is one of the criteria taken into account Does your company lets its employees know how they are performing Total Mean (Evaluation) Mean 3. 7795 3. 5077 3. 5179 3. 5179 4. 0872 3. 682 SD . 89534 . 95986 . 3799 . 97041 2. 98408 1. 349 Mean 3. 7231 3. 6513 3. 4974 3. 6154 3. 8923 3. 7231 3. 683 SD . 92793 . 92024 1. 00706 1. 01574 . 96522 1. 01800 . 975 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 5. Discussion and Conclusion Small and medium enterprises may have a significant contribution in the economic growth of a country. The swift progress in entrepreneurial set-ups depicts healthy business activities. The findings of this study measure the level of HR practices in SME. The mean score of overall HR practices reported at 3. 553 indicated a modera te level of HR practices, followed in the firms.The adequate level of HR practices is an indication that the SMEs, participated in the study, are involved in implementing and practicing HR activities in their organizations. However, sophistication HR practices bring ample opportunities to gain competitive advantage in the market in terms of HR outcomes i. e. employee retention, satisfaction, competencies and commitment. This increase in HR outcomes may significantly affect the SME performance. Hence HR practices should consider as the source of sustain competitive advantage and owner / manager should therefore put the HR agenda in central to any strategy.Human resources are consider as the activators of all non-human resources and are means for developing competitive advantages in the market place (Stone, 2005). Compensation practice of employees has a significant role followed by employee performance. These are considered as the key factors in managing HR in SME. Hence are practice s in a comprehensive manner. However recruitment and selection and training and development practices are still need the attention and would like to practice in a more sophisticated manner.Especially, training and development, since, trained and motivated employees and managers contribute effectively under these practices. Moreover, scant attention is being paid to new HR practices to manage knowledge and its effective use (Taha, 2006). Efficient HR practices in a SME may bridge the information gap and improve the organizational performance. Moreover, HR practices framework in SMEs requires a collective approach to practices HR functions working as a set or â€Å"bundle† rather than independently (Delery, 1998). SMEs owners and managers should broaden the scope of HR practices.It will increase the retention rate of employee, enhance the competencies and commitment in work force and levitate the level of 7 satisfaction among employees. This shift in-turn enhances the organizat ional performance in terms of quality, productivity and market share. Successful HR system also helps to integrate the other organizational functions in lesser time. This integration will open long term investment opportunities through organizational strategy. Finally, appropriate strategies at national level may enable the SME sector to boost the national economy. Acknowledgement: I would like to acknowledge Dr.Mashhood Ahmad Khan and Dr. S. M. Taha for providing guidance in initializing this study and insightful comments at different stages of this research. ISSN: 1582-8859 17 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 References Arthur, J. (1994). Effects of human resource systems on manufacturing performance and turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 37(3): 670-87. Armstrong, M. (2006). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 10th ed. , London: Kogan Page As’ad, I. , Ahmad, F. , Sentosa, I. (2012). An Empirical Study of E-Commerce Impl ementation among SME in Indonesia.International Journal of Independent Research Studies, 1(1): 13-22. Chang, W. A. and Huang, T. C. (2005). Relationship between strategic human resource management and firm performance, International Journal of Manpower, 26(5): 434-449. Delery, J. E. (1998). Issues of fit in strategic human resource management: implications for research. Human Resource Management Review, 8(1): 289-309. Dessler, G. (2008). Human Resource Management, 11th ed. , NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River Fisher, C. D. Schoenfeldt, L. F. and Shaw, J. B. (2006). Human Resource Management, 6th ed. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Ghouri, Arsalan. M. , Khan, Naveed. R. , Malik, Muhammad. A. , and Razzaq, Ambreen. , (2011), Marketing Practices and Their Effects on Firm’s Performance: Findings from Small and Medium Sized Catering and Restaurants in Karachi, International Journal of Business and Management, 6(5) Gramm, C. L. and Schnell, J. F (2001). The Use of Flexible staffing arrangements in core production jobs. Industrial and Labor Relations Review. 54(2): 245-251 Huselid, M. A. (1995). The impact of human resource management practice on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance.Academy of Management Journal, 38: 63518 672 Katou, A. A. (2012). Investigating reverse causality between human resource management policies and organizational performance in small firms. Management Research Review, 35(2): 134-156. Khan, Naveed. R. , (2011) HRM Significance and SME Sector, Business Recorder (DOR April 11, 2011) 7 http://www. brecorder. com/component/news/single/626:news. html? id=1176724 Khan, N. R. , Taha, S. M. , Ghouri, A. M. (2011). Bridging the Gap through E-Recruitment: Evidences from Employment Sector in Karachi. Indian Journal of Commerce and Management, 2(6): in press.MacDuffie, J. (1995). Human resource bundles and manufacturing performance: organizational logic and flexible production systems in the world auto industry. Ind ustrial and Labor Relations Review, 48: 197-221. Mathis, R. L. and Jackson, J. H. (2008). Human Resource Management, 12th ed. , Mason, OH: Cengage Learning/South-Western Publishing. Nankervis, A. Compton, R. , & Savery, L. (2002). Strategic HRM in small and medium enterprise: A CEO’s perspective? Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 40(2): 260-273 Ngo, H. Y. , Turban, D. , Lau, C. M. , and Lai, S. Y. (1998).Human Resource Practices and Firm Performance of Multinational Corporation: Influence of Country of Origin. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 9(4): 632–52. Nugroho, M. A. (2012). Correlations of Attitude to Avoid Sharing Risk and Trust with Informal Knowledge Sharing. International Journal of Economics Business and Management Studies, 1(3), 86-95. Osman, I. , Ho, T. C. F. , and Galang, M. C. (2011). The relationship between human resource practices and COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 firm performance: an empi rical assessment of firms in Malaysia. Business Strategy Series, 12(1), 41-48.Purani, K. and Sahadev, S. (2008). The moderating role of industrial experience in the job satisfaction, intention to leave relationship: an empirical study among salesmen in India. Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 23(7): 475-485. Schlogl, H. (2004). Small and medium enterprises: seizing the potential. Observer, 243: 46-8. Sekaran, Uma. (2005). Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building Approach, 1st ed, John Wiley & Sons. Singh, M. , and Vohra, N. (2005). Strategic human resource management in small enterprises. 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Saturday, September 14, 2019

Obesity: America’s Modern Day Societal Crutch

Obesity: America’s Modern Day Societal Crutch Matthew Murphy Abstract Today’s society has been faced with the never ending problem of obesity. Many would blame this problem of obesity in America to poor genetics, unhealthy eating habits, and even lack of physical fitness. After viewing this paper and reviewing these credible sources the reader will have a better understanding as to why individuals become obese. All sources in this paper have been written, reviewed, and critiqued by credible individuals.Obesity: America’s Modern Day Societal Crutch In today’s America we as citizens are faced with the ongoing crutch known as obesity. Obesity is defined as a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent of major health issues. I view obesity as a â€Å"crutch† because it is disease that will slow the American populous down. The topic on obesity has been debated over many years as to who would take the blame of America’ s overweight problem and what that individual or group would do to prevent it.Many different state legislatures and school board committees have started to ban vending machines in school grounds. â€Å"Congress has considered a menu-labeling legislation that would force chain restaurants to list fat, sodium, and calories for each item† (Balko, 2004, p. 522). Many individuals like me believe that this is definitely the most improper approach to preventing the obesity epidemic that has plagued the United States over the last twenty years. It is not the United State government’s place to tell American citizens what they can or cannot consume.Obesity has become more and more of a problem because American citizens are executing poor dietary techniques. The next influential factor to obesity is the influence of our biological need and genetics. These factors play a large part in the obesity epidemic but the key factor to obesity is the fact that Americans are drastically dec reasing their urges for physical fitness and health. Data has been collected from many different institutions and still the debate is on to see which group will inherit the blame of our nation’s obesity problems.Although many argue who is to blame for obesity, I believe that is in the hands of the individual and their poor diet techniques, biological factors, and their willingness to perform physical fitness. Dietary Techniques Obesity has become a crutch to the American way of life in the idea that we as individuals are not executing proper dietary techniques. The groups that are mainly targeted for obesity because of poor dieting techniques are low-income families throughout the United States. Obesity is on the rise in these families because more Americans are eating outside their homes at higher rates† (Bryan, 2006 p. 98). With the families going out to eat instead of staying home they are subject to a higher calorie intake than if they were to eat at home. The nutri tional nature of fast food is unknown to many Americans because they have forfeited the need for knowledge on the matter. â€Å"Fast food restaurants and other fast food outlets are serving larger portions to consumers† (Bryan, 2006, p. 98).This creates a dilemma for a person trying to stay within his/her healthy eating when a fast food business offers more food for cheaper than healthy food. In today’s society Americans are looking at the almighty dollar instead of their dietary needs. If it cost fifteen dollars to eat healthy food and it only cost six dollars for a value meal then 9 times out of 10 the consumer is going to choose the value meal over healthy food. I also believe that high advertisement of fast food and snack foods by large businesses influence the consumer to stray from their healthy diet.Many business have began to realize that American’s are becoming more and more aware of their dietary needs and are working to provide healthy foods at their restaurant chains. Biological Needs and Genetics The next factor we need to include in the reason of individuals ourselves being responsible for our obesity is biological needs and even our genetics. â€Å"Humans are hardwired, as a survival strategy, to like foods high in sugar, fat, and calories† (Brownell & Nestle, 2006, p. 525). This may seem like it in not the individual’s problem and could be blamed on biology.This is an individual responsibility due to the fact that the human body can be controlled in a matter of survival. If one is desperate to survive and realizes that they are overweight they will cut back on excess calories. The closest example I have of survival is the urge to quit smoking because of all the scientific backing that states it can end your life. A responsible individual would quit smoking when he/she realizes they may die from the hazards. This survival response is the same with the obesity epidemic.Individuals are placed into danger when the y become obese and face many different side effects. Some of these health hazards include an array of thirty different diseases. Although there are many individuals out there that are willing to help themselves get over this epidemic, many individuals are unable to overcome obesity due to their genetic make-up. Physical Fitness and Health There are many different contributing issues that play into the obesity epidemic but the key factor is the decline of physical fitness and overall health.Physical fitness has come to an all time low since the 1960’s and the evolution of the industrial age. Research data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that over the past 50 years the relationship between activity at work and obesity has grown closer together. â€Å"In 1960, nearly half the jobs in the private sector required at least moderate physical activity, but in 2010, less than 20% demanded this much physical work† (Harvard, 2012). With industrializatio n and technology on the rise many Americans are relying on technology to get them through their lives.Do not get me wrong, I believe that the use of technology makes this country an effective machine. The advances in technology has relieved stress off a man’s back and applied it to his stomach. The health hazards that follow obesity are not just a big belly but also high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, gallstones, gout, some cancers, bladder control issues, and psychological disorders (Bryan, 2006, p. 97). The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) reported an increase in the prevalence of obesity from 11. 1% in the 1970’s to 19. 3% in the early 2000’s† (Samper-Ternent & Al Snih, 2011, p. 10-19). With the concern of citizens and their health on the rise I believe that the more information we get out to the people it will be beneficial to their survival. Discussion The epidemic th at is obesity has become a modern day problem for America’s society. Some would even go as far to say that it could even be a crutch for he United States. â€Å"Increases in the prevalence of obesity have been observed in men and women, in all age groups, in all major ethnic groups, and at all educational levels† (Samper-Ternent & Al Snih, 2011, p. 10). Individuals themselves could control and take responsibility for their overweight situation which would allow them to become more active and healthy. If obesity is caught early on the individual will be more likely to overcome this hardship they have entered. We as individuals need to maintain our body and live a long, healthy life.Just like Sir Isaac Newton stated, â€Å"A body in motion stays in motion†¦ and a body at rest tend to remain at rest. † References Balko, R. (2011). Obesity: Who Is Responsible for Our Weight. In S. Barnet & H. Bedau (Authors), Current Issues and Enduring Questions (9th ed. , pp. 522-523). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's. Brownell, K. , ; Nestle, M. (2011). Are You Responsible for Your Own Weight? Con. In S. Barnet ; H. Bedau (Authors), Current Issues and Enduring Questions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (9th ed. , pp. 524-525).Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's. Bryan, M. (2006). Obesity in America & its Impact on Minorities, Women and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Low-Income Groups. International Journal Of The Diversity, 6(3), 97-101. Harvard University. (2012). Obesity in America: What's Driving the Epidemic? Harvard Men's Health Watch, 5-7. Samper-Ternent, R. , & Al Snih, S. (2012). Obesity in older adults: Epidemiology   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  and omplications for disability and disease. Reviews in Clinical   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gerontology, 22, 10-34. doi:10. 1017/S0959259811000190